The Drill: Team Modifications

A former assistant with the Seattle Storm and now coaching at Lakeside and the NW HoopGurlz, Chris Bown has made his mark with individual player development. His latest The Drill column discusses modifying small-group drills for a team setting.

I have received a few emails asking if I adapt some of my small-group drills for a team setting and, if so, how I do some of them. So here goes.

My Lakeside staff and I will try to have an individual skills period each day of practice. The length of this period will depend on where we are in the season, which skills we need to work on, and how much work the staff feels that we need.

One of the drills that we will use this season at Lakeside is a modification of the "Make a Move" drill. In this drill, the coach stands at a certain spot on the floor and the players (each with their own ball) dribble at the coach and make a move on the defender (coach) in the open court. The players get their own rebound and return to the line. This happens at different spots on the floor with players executing a variety moves.

Modifying this drill for a team requires placing the players in groups of three at a basket. One player starts under the basket with a ball, another is on the three=point line and the third player gets ready for the weak-side rebound.

Player One is on the three-point line in the ready position (butt down and target hand up) Player Two passes the ball to One and closes out. She may close out short, long, or to either side of the offensive player. Player One must read the defense and execute the appropriate move into a jump shot.

On the shot, Two and Three must yell, "Shot!" Three simulates a weak-side blockout. Two blocks out One.

The rotation is as follows: Two becomes shooter. Three becomes defender and One goes to the weak-side spot.

---

Chris Bown is the head coach with the Lakeside girls' varsity basketball team and a coach of the Northwest HoopGurlz select girls team. He recently was an assistant coach in charge of player development for the WNBA Seattle Storm. Chris also does individual training and can be reached at 206-794-9046 or . A graduate of the University of Washington, he has been the head coach for girls varsity basketball teams at Holy Names Academy, Seattle Academy and American Indian Heritage School. This is his second stint at Lakeside as an assistant to Sandy Schneider. Chris also has been a math and physical education instructor at St. Paul School and Seattle Academy.

---

More Chris Bown Columns:

Ricochet
Catch, Drive & Shoot
Two-Person Screening
Two-Person Series
Three-Point Shooting
Texas Turnout
Power Layup
Tossout
Solo Postup
Angle into Elbows
1-2 Follow-Thru
Tap-Pitch-Touch-Dive-Score
Penetrate & Kick
Multi-Shot
Banana Run
Ballhandling
Oiler Screen Series
Medicine Ball Passing
Oiler Three-Point
Running the W
Oiler Shooting
Basic Four
Mikan Plus
Defensive Combo
Half-Circle